I am currently at a T-3 in the pacific northwest. I think that I am doing well in all of my classes. I am considering a transfer if I come out of this year in good standing. What 1L GPA would I need to realistically transfer to Fordham in NY?

Pull up the data on http://abarequireddisclosures.org/Disclosure509.aspx for the past few years. I see Fordham wasn't required to report transfer GPAs for the most recent year for which data is published (2017), but in the preceding year (2016), their transfers had a 75% GPA of 3.48, 50% of 3.4, and 25% of 3.21. In 2015, their transfers had a 75% GPA of 3.49, 50% of 3.33, and 25% of 3.28. They take students all the way down to RNP. You'd want to have a GPA > their 50% to have a good shot - so, 3.4 and up. If you end up below 3.2, probably unlikely you'd get in.

ABA 509 Disclosures are an awesome resource and help to set realistic expectations for applicants. But keep in mind that every year the application pool is different and the school's admissions strategy may change, even for transfers. There's no firm GPA that will definitely get you admitted or rejected. Since it's still early in the year, focus as much as you can on obtaining the highest GPA possible. Unlike the review process for incoming 1Ls (which is trying to predict aptitude for success in law school), you already have a track record. The majority of the transfer review process will be focused on your 1L grades. That should alleviate some pressure since I'm sure you were planning to focus heavily on your grades anyways.

Hopefully you will have GPA around your desired school's transfer medians. If you don't after the fall semester, remember that you'll still have spring semester to bring it up. Schools will want to see both semesters of grades before admitting you. This also means that you may not know where you realistically stand until later in the year since spring grades aren't released until May and applications are due in June or early July.

The one thing that you should start working on right now, during the fall semester of your 1L year, is building relationships with professors so that you can request a letter of recommendation at the end of your 1L year for your transfer app. Some schools require a law school professor recommendation with your transfer application. Others do not, but it never looks bad. (Plus it's great to form relationships/mentorships with your professors.)

Thanks for the advice everyone, I would love to end up in NYC at some point but the only school that I was admitted to regular decision was NYLS. I would be targeting Fordham or higher for the New York area.

RedBadger2112 wrote:Thanks for the advice everyone, I would love to end up in NYC at some point but the only school that I was admitted to regular decision was NYLS. I would be targeting Fordham or higher for the New York area.

Best wishes! Cardozo also has relatively good placement in the city - an option to keep in mind.

RedBadger2112 wrote:If I'm at a T3 in the PNW and would like to practice in NYC, would it be a good move to transfer to Cardozo if possible?

IMO, if you want to practice in NYC, it'd certainly be advantageous to transfer to Cardozo over staying at your PNW T3. Law schools generally only place locally, or at most regionally. I can't imagine you'd have much of a NYC alumni network to leverage from your PNW T3.

Ofc, also consider finances - e.g., if you're on a full scholly at your PNW T3, may not make sense to run the risk of paying sticker for Cardozo.